Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has again expressed the view that the use of online casinos is a crime, pledging a further crackdown on their operation.
He was speaking in response to Democratic Party councillor, Issei Yamagishi, who questioned the growth of online gaming in Japan, with the country reported to now have more than two million online iGamers.
Prime Minister Kishida responded: “In the event a portion of the act of gambling is taking place within Japan, it constitutes a gambling crime. I understand there are cases in which arrests and criminal charges have been made related to online casinos. We cannot allow illegal organisations to expand.”
Councillor Yamagishi went on to criticise the government’s efforts to develop Japan’s first integrated resorts, claiming its inability to eliminate illegal online casinos meant they would be unable to prevent societal threats posed by integrated resorts.
